I have never seen plague bring a man back from the dead. Nor do I know of any sickness, in England or upon the continent, that gives its victims a taste for living flesh. So declares Sir Edward Dallingridge, a noble knight whose years defending England on the battlefield haven't prepared him to face an enemy as chilling - and relentless - as the living dead. But even as his countrymen flee in horror, Sir Edward rides straight into the unholy infestation. For his lady love lies trapped behind a hundred miles of fiendish terror, and nothing will keep him from her.

Nostrum: The Scourge, Book 2

The journey north ended with The Scourge. The journey for a cure has just begun…Sir Edward Dallingridge survived his journey through the anarchy that is now England, leaving in his wake the bodies of mad lords, foul invaders, friends, and the risen dead. There was nothing on earth that could keep him from the woman he loves. Nothing but the horror that has already consumed her. His journey is over, but his mission is far from complete. As a knight of the realm, he has defended England from every enemy it has. But how does one drive away a plague sent from hell?

Gods of Earth

Against all odds, - A God has returned - to Earth. Chance Kyrien is turning seventeen, and on this day he will be confirmed as a Puriman and learn the shape of his life to come. Young Chance is ambitious, rebellious, but also fiercely devout, and his only thoughts are about farming and wine-making - and marrying the girl he loves. But in a shocking burst of violence, Chance's dreams are shattered. Now he must survive against hellish forces to face his ultimate foe: a long-forgotten god whose destiny is intertwined with his own.

Empty Bodies: A Post-Apocalyptic Tale of Dystopian Survival, Book 1

Everything changes in a single moment. Hundreds of thousands of people suddenly collapse, leaving their friends and loved ones behind, terrified and confused. The fallen rise moments later, and the survivors become the hunted.

When the body of Jacob Kieler Junior is discovered in a stately old house in Reykjavik on a cold January morning in 1973, Jóhann Pálsson, an expert in the emerging field of forensics, is called to the scene. He soon discovers something even more unsettling than the killing itself: The victim’s father, Jacob Senior, was shot to death in the same living room nearly 30 years earlier. Through diaries Jacob Senior kept throughout his lifetime Pálsson and his colleagues try to link Jacob Junior’s shooting and the death of Jacob Senior, an ambitious man dedicated to bringing the railroad to Iceland at any cost.

Fireblood: Whispers from Mirrowen, Book 1

In a world beset by plagues, Tyrus of Kenatos has made it his life’s work to end the devastation. Yet when he first ventures into the Scourgelands to uncover the secret of the plagues’ origin, he barely makes it out alive after being ambushed by a mysterious, unseen enemy. Tyrus knows the plagues will rise again - more powerful than ever before - and he is determined to complete his mission. To aid in his new quest, he summons his nephew Annon and his niece Hettie - both of whom possess an innate magic called the fireblood - and a pack of unlikely allies.

The Harvesting

While Layla Petrovich returns home to rural Hamletville after a desperate call from her psychic grandmother, she never could have anticipated the horror of what Grandma Petrovich has foreseen. The residents of Hamletville will need Layla's cool head, fast blade, and itchy trigger finger to survive the undead apocalypse that's upon them. But even that may not be enough. With mankind silenced, it soon becomes apparent that we were never alone.

The Woodcutter

Deep within the Wood, a young woman lies dead. Not a mark on her body. No trace of her murderer. Only her chipped glass slippers hint at her identity. The Woodcutter, keeper of the peace between the Twelve Kingdoms of Man and the Realm of the Faerie, must find the maiden’s killer before others share her fate. Guided by the wind and aided by three charmed axes won from the River God, the Woodcutter begins his hunt, searching for clues in the whispering dominions of the enchanted unknown. But quickly he finds that one murdered maiden is not the only nefarious mystery afoot....

The Damnation Game

Marty Strauss, a gambling addict recently released from prison, is hired to be the personal bodyguard of Joseph Whitehead, one of the wealthiest men in the world. The job proves more complicated and dangerous than he thought, however, as Marty soon gets caught up in a series of supernatural events involving Whitehead, his daughter (who is a heroin addict), and a devilish man named Mamoulian, with whom Whitehead made a Faustian bargain many years earlier, during World War II.

Monster Hunter Nemesis

Agent Franks of the U.S. Monster Control Bureau is a man of many parts - parts from other people, that is. Franks is nearly seven feet tall and all muscle. He's nearly indestructible. Plus he’s animated by a powerful alchemical substance and inhabited by a super-intelligent spirit more ancient than humanity itself. Good thing he’s on our side. More or less.

Ravage

Nick Adams is just a normal guy. He loves his family, appreciates his home, and covets his car. But he absolutely hates his job. Which is what makes it so difficult when not a single customer comes by his store that day. It seems as though there's a bug going around, something that has come out of nowhere and is keeping people at home. Still, it's probably nothing to worry about. People get sick all the time. And besides, things are finally starting to look up. Nick's first customer of the day has just stumbled through the door…

The Disaster Diaries: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Apocalypse

Sam Sheridan has been an amateur boxer, mixed martial arts fighter, professional wilderness firefighter, EMT, sailor, and cowboy, and has worked in construction at the South Pole. If he isn't ready for the apocalypse, we're all in a lot of trouble. But when Sam had his son and settled down, he was beset with nightmares about being unable to protect him. Sam decided to face his fears head-on, embarking on a quest to gain as many skills as possible that might come in handy should the world as we know it end....

They Never Die Quietly

Experience a new kind of terror. Meet Simon. This highly intelligent and deceptively charming physical therapist loves to touch people: "Inflicting pain through aggressive manipulation helped the healing process." Simon has a secret calling. He believes that God has given him absolute authority to purify his unholy victims through a ritual that ends in grisly crucifixions. Driven by twisted religious beliefs and guided by his dead mother, very much alive in his subconscious mind, Simon abducts "chosen ones" and holds them captive in a Room of Redemption. There, the victims helplessly await deliverance.

The Emerald Scepter

Something bad happened to Matinicus "Matt" Hawkins in Afghanistan. The ex-SEAL was grievously wounded in an ambush that killed men under his command and almost ended his life. When he pushed for an investigation, he was kicked out of the Navy with a psychiatric discharge. The doctors put his shattered leg back together, but the bitterness destroyed his marriage. Five years later, Hawkins is jerked out of his tranquil life as a designer of undersea robots.

The Junkie Quatrain

Six months ago, the world ended. The Baugh Contagion swept across the planet. Its victims were left twitching, adrenalized cannibals that quickly became know as Junkies. Civilization crumbled as people created isolated safe havens to hide from the infected... and the possibly infected. Now, as society nears a tipping point, lives will intersect and intertwine across two days in a desolate city.

The Wrath of the Just: Apocalypse Z, Book 3

An act of terrorism unleashed an unspeakable biological weapon…and hell on earth. But as the masses felled by a hideous virus rose from the dead to prey on the living, a small band of survivors defied death and its ghastly spawn - determined to outrun the world’s end, and somehow begin again.

Refuge, New Hampshire, is a small town. The kind found on postcards. Their biggest concern is the rowdy summertime revelers making their way up from Massachusetts and New York. And with most of the town's residents in neighboring Ashland, for the Fourth of July fireworks show, Refuge is quieter than usual. That is, until the Baptist church's bell starts ringing - on its own. The bell chimes faster and faster, reaching a frenetic pace, as though rung by the Devil himself. But the bell is just the beginning.

The Purge of Babylon: A Novel of Survival: Purge of Babylon, Volume 1

One night. That was all it took. Creatures that once lived in the shadows, hidden from humankind, have risen, spreading like a plague across the globe over the course of a single night. Their numbers growing exponentially through infection, these seemingly unkillable creatures have swallowed up whole cities and collapsed unprepared governments.

47 Ronin

For those looking for the real story behind the fictionalized movie account of the 47 Ronin story, this is the definitive, fascinating account of this unforgettable tale of a band of samurai who defied the Emperor to avenge the disgrace and death of their master, and faced certain death as a result. It led to one of the bloodiest episodes in Japanese history, and in the process, created a new set of heroes in Japan.

Terms of Enlistment: Frontlines, Book 1

The year is 2108, and the North American Commonwealth is bursting at the seams. For welfare rats like Andrew Grayson, there are only two ways out of the crime-ridden and filthy welfare tenements, where you’re restricted to 2,000 calories of badly flavored soy every day. You can hope to win the lottery and draw a ticket on a colony ship settling off-world, or you can join the service. With the colony lottery a pipe dream, Andrew chooses to enlist in the armed forces for a shot at real food, a retirement bonus, and maybe a ticket off Earth.

The Silver Falcon

Despite his mother’s insistence, young William knows he is destined not to toil with a swordsmith’s hammer in his hand, but rather to stride the open country with a falcon on his fist. And when he rescues a magnificent bird of prey belonging to King Henry himself, the boy finds in His Majesty’s favor a golden opportunity. Neither the stigma of a clubfoot nor the powerful influence of prophecy will keep him from fleeing the smoky smithy to run the open fields… in the shadow of the sky’s winged masters.

The Land of Later On

Kip - a New York jazz pianist whose career was cut short by a neurological disease - returns from a failed suicide attempt with a vivid, detailed memory of his journey through the afterlife. Resembling the world as he knows it, but unlimited in space and time, it’s unlike any eternity he has contemplated. Its residents are those who choose not to reincarnate, which would erase all memory of who they once were. Kip has a quest: to find his beloved Lucy, a yoga teacher who shared his apartment for years but died of leukemia.

Mountain Man

Boomstick. Samurai bat. Motorcycle leather. And the will to live among the unliving. Augustus Berry lives a day-to-day existence comprised of waking up, getting drunk, and preparing for the inevitable day when "they" will come up the side of his mountain and penetrate his fortress. Living on the outskirts of a city and scavenging for whatever supplies remain after civilization died two years ago, Gus knows that every time he goes down into undead suburbia could be his last.

Publisher's Summary

I have never seen plague bring a man back from the dead. Nor do I know of any sickness, in England or upon the continent, that gives its victims a taste for living flesh. So declares Sir Edward Dallingridge, a noble knight whose years defending England on the battlefield haven't prepared him to face an enemy as chilling - and relentless - as the living dead. But even as his countrymen flee in horror, Sir Edward rides straight into the unholy infestation. For his lady love lies trapped behind a hundred miles of fiendish terror, and nothing will keep him from her. With little more than the armor on his back, the blade in his hand, and the loyalty of the two fellow warriors at his side, he is willing to spill an ocean of tainted blood to reclaim the country he serves and the bride he worships.

US.Can't understand why this does not have higher ratings. Picture Michael Sullivan with Zombies and you have Roberto Calas' The Scourge. There are three great main characters. The interaction between the three is often funny, which helps with the anxiety from all the danger they face. They go from one dangerous situation to another. I have read several Zombie books and I felt they were used in this book a little differently. Some shades of the same, such as using female zombies as whores (Zombie Fallout) or as an army, one Maberry book, Zombie Fallout again and Clines Ex series. One reviewer mentioned this is not the first medieval zombie book, but I did not recognize the author or book and it is not available at audible. In my humble opinion this was better written then those books and is on par with Sullivan. This should appeal to Zombie fans and Fantasy epic fans.

THE NEW TESTAMENT IS A BEAUTIFUL QUILT THROWN OVER A BED OF NAILSThe book has a lot of religion talk and at first seems anti-Christian, but may have changed toward the end. I found the discussions about the grumpy old testament god and the loving new testament god to be thought provoking.

INTENT IS THE TRUE MEASURE OF FAULTIf you like sarcastic humor, Zombies or fantasy epics, I urge to give this a try, I do not believe you will be disappointed.

The narrator is very good and makes the book a better listen then a read.

As a rule I typically don't like zombie fics. I tried this one because it's a historical and referenced to some degree the black plague in the 14th century. The book doesn't really have much to do with the actual history of the plague but by the time I finished the first chapter I didn't care. I had forgotten that for the most part I don't like zombie fics and was enjoying this one to the fullest. It's funny and engaging and I couldn't put it down. I recommend it to anyone who can deal with the sometimes off-color humor. I couldn't stop laughing.

Medieval zombies. That's all you really need to know about this book. If you like zombie genre books, it's a different take, although it uses nearly all the same apocalypse cliches as a book set in the present would just with horses instead of cars. If you don't like zombie books, then what are you doing even reading reviews of the book?

To be warned though, it ends kind of abruptly, or maybe not really having resolved things. So if you are the type to get really invested in characters, be prepared to buy the next book.

I was going to give the book a fourth star for plot, but then I got to the last half hour or so of narration. At the end of the plot part of the book, the narrator embarks on a chapter by chapter self-important ego trip about all the historical research he did when he wrote the book. I made it about five minutes in and then called it quits on that front. A short note with some suggested reading for those interested in social/geographical/military aspects of the medieval period would have been sufficient. Reading reviews of the next book, it sounds like the author has switched (or maybe the narration is arranged differently) and these historical notes are read at the end of each chapter instead of the end of the whole book. If this is the case, I won't be getting the next one for sure.

Zombies Books in order: 1. We're Alive 2. Day By Day Armageddon 3. Roads Less Traveled Series 4. Alaskan Undead Apocalypse 5. World War Z 6. The Walking Dead 7. Rise Again 8. As the World Dies 9. Zombie Fallout

So Sir Edward and his two pals, Morgan and Tristan ride to the north in search of...you guessed it, Edwards wife! So the typical zombie story and elements are intact; we follow them as they encounter one weird and crazy group after the other until they get to his wife.

The difference is the setting, its medieval England which is done really quite well. The zombiesm in this story is kinda ill defined, being treated more like what they know of from before, the plague. They don't seem to make huge hordes and chase humanity around forever, they can in fact get distracted and lose interest if you keep galloping away from them.

But they're still zombies, need to chop at the head and all that. An advantage these knights have compared to modern stories is that they do in fact have amour! They eventually lose their chain mail, war horses and swords, but still...

Religion is always part of a good zombie story, but here its even bigger since its the middle ages. Morgan I think was a monk and is deeply religious while Tristan seems atheist and plays the comedic side kick.

Lack of any major female character kept the story on track, if you find lovey dovey stuff distracting. I don't and would have preferred some deeper relational aspects in the story. Other than that, its a good read, and look! There is a book 2! Think I'll pick that up, although I think the story could have just ended the way it was. We know there is no cure...don't we?

Three knights in the time of the plague trying to reach Sir Edward's wife. What trials and tribulations befall the Knights on their journey to save Elizabeth. The book had a little science fiction to it regarding those with the plague. Part of me liked the book, part of me didn't. Plus it should have a different ending.

This is a very interesting twist on the Zombie genre. In this series zombies attack more as a plague some time after the plague we know from history. I actually like the idea that maybe the so called zombies aren't actually zombies at all, but infected with a plague that makes them tough to kill.

This book has a lot of very exciting parts to it. It really helped me chew up a lot of highway while keeping me wide awake in my semi. The kind of book that makes you dissapointed that you've ran out of time and have to shut down for 10 hours.

All in all a very well written and very well performed book. The author did a section by section "Historic Reference" at the end of this book which was interesting, but a bit teadous....In book two he did them at the end of each section, and that seemed much better. This reader/performer really did the parts well enough that it seemed like a cast of characters instead of the same reader....

Nico Evers-Swindell's British accent is incredible and his tone sophoric. I want him to read more with this accent!!! Coupled with a good story ( zombie fan here !) I can definitely recommend this and the second one and I am waiting patiently for the rest of the series.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Sir Tristan for sure - his wit, sarcasm work as a fabulous counter weight to some of the human tragedy. Sir Edmund - well what is not to like about this principled man.

What does Nico Evers-Swindell bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Nico is expressive and I LOVE this version of his accent. Give him more work. He brings this story to life. I will listen to his other titles now but long for the British accent.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

"pulling 36 inches of medicine from it's sheath - be healed Sister"

Any additional comments?

Witty, enchanting and historically very accurate. Good work Calas and Nico!

What made the experience of listening to The Scourge the most enjoyable?

I think I bought this book on one of the $4.99 specials and was not sure what to expect. It is written with grit, humpur and amazing attention to history. The narrator is very good. It is about vampires ( or something similar) so not for the faint of heart.

What does Nico Evers-Swindell bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His English accent is impeccable and the voices he uses for different characters. I had not hard him before but hope to hear him more in the future.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes. When one of the main characters had to be left behind. I won't say more because it would be a spoiler.

Any additional comments?

Try this book. I think the author could do a lot more than write books about the plague and I am looking forward to seeing more of his work.

This is a beautifully detailed dark quest through a broken and twisted medieval England. The characters are strongly written and Evers-Swindell does an excellent job making them stand out as individuals.

I would have loved a sequel - and now I see that one has been published since I read this. I will buy it and listen with great pleasure, I have no doubt.

If this book has a flaw (and it is very fine indeed), it is that it is, if anything, too action packed. The main protagonist never gets a moment but is always running to or from something. It was a little exhausting for the reader and must have been even more so for poor Sir Edward.

A damn fine read, well worth the time.

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